Report: Sex assaults at Boston area colleges highest in a decade

A review of reported sexual assaults at Boston-area college campuses found that in the total in 2012 was the highest level in a decade.

A review of reported sexual assaults at Boston-area college campuses found that in the total in 2012 was the highest level in a decade.

A total of 113 sexual assaults were reported in 2012 at 22 of the largest campuses in and around Boston, according to the Globe. The data is supplied by the colleges as required by the Clery Act and includes allegations that occurred on campus, at property owned by, but separated from the main campus and fraternities and sororities. Other off-campus housing is excluded.

There were 38 reported forcible sex assaults at Harvard University in 2012. At UMass Boston there were 13, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology there were 12, at Boston University there were 10 and Boston College, Northeastern University, Tufts University and Wellesley College all reported five.

Advocates and officials said the high numbers, like those at Harvard, which for years has reported more sexual assaults than other colleges in the Boston area, can mean that students feel comfortable reporting the crime and seeking help.